Gluten-Degrading Enzyme Helps Those Who Are Gluten-Sensitive

Photo © iStockphoto.com/marekuliasz

DSM (Parsippany, NJ) has brought to the U.S. dietary supplement market what it says is “the first and the only digestive enzyme demonstrated to effectively break down residual gluten in the stomach.”

Branded Tolerase G, the prolyl endoprotease enzyme is derived from the fungus Aspergillus niger (AN-PEP). It is not geared toward consumers who are looking to be strictly and medically gluten-free, such as those with celiac disease, but rather to those who are gluten-sensitive and looking to eliminate as much gluten, including hidden and residual gluten, from the diet as possible.

A first, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study¹ looking at the effects of the AN-PEP enzyme on degrading gluten in healthy volunteers was published in 2015 in the journal Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics. Researchers found that the enzyme helped subjects digest gluten within a one-hour period.

An in vitro study² published in PLoS One showed that the AN-PEP outperformed other digestive enzymes and “degrades gluten molecules in the stomach more effectively than other commercially available supplements,” DSM says.

The company says that Tolerase G could benefit consumers trying their best to adhere to a gluten-free diet but who may find it difficult to always find gluten-free foods when traveling or at social events because gluten is present in such a wide range of foods.

“A growing number of people now opt to follow a gluten-free diet, but until recently it was difficult for dietary supplement manufacturers to match consumer demand as the available digestive enzymes were not effective in degrading gluten in the stomach,” said Thierry Garrier, DSM marketing director, in a press release. “Tolerase G is the result of significant research, carried out over a number of years, to show the efficacy and safety of the enzyme.”
 

Jennifer Grebow
Editor-in-Chief
Nutritional Outlook magazine
jennifer.grebow@ubm.com

Disclosures:

• Salden B et al., “Randomised clinical study: Aspergillus niger-derived enzyme digests gluten in the stomach of health volunteers,” Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics,” vol. 42, no. 3 (August 2015): 273-285
• Janssen G et al., “Ineffective degradation of immunogenic gluten epitopes by currently available digestive enzyme supplements,” PLoS One, vol. 10, no. 6 (Jun 1, 2015).